Children of the Valar
by lets.read.a.book
Summary: After the Second Titan War, all is peaceful. That is, until Percy, Nico, and Thalia are transported to Middle Earth just after Sauron is defeated. The three demigods need to find out who sent them there and why; meanwhile, the enemy's forces are rebuilding, and both sides are eager to get their hands on the three children who can determine the fate of Middle Earth.
1. They Come

Prelude

The horse's hooves beat on the muddy ground, churning up wet soil and dead leaves. He rounded a bend too fast, almost falling, but righted himself and galloped on. Despite their too-fast pace, the rider encouraged the horse to go even faster, bending low over his steed's sweating neck.

Finally, the white towers of Minas Tirith came into view, and both horse and rider nearly collapsed in relief. Asking his panting horse for one final push, the rider was rewarded with a final burst of speed that brought them to the guarded entrance to the citadel.

"Halt!" one of the guards cried out. "Who goes there?"

In one fluid movement, the rider dismounted and thrust back his hood.

"Captain Faramir!" the guard said, shocked. "I apologize, I didn't recognize-"

"There is no time for that now, Turgon," Faramir said, cutting him off. "I have a matter of utmost importance that is to be brought before the King."

The guards exchanged a glance. "The king is in the middle of a council meeting-" Turgon started.

"This is a matter worth disturbing the king," Faramir said sharply. "If you do not remember, I outrank the both of you, and I am demanding to be brought before King Elessar."

After a brief pause, the guards nodded, and they reluctantly let the determined Captain through. Looking at his retreating figure, Turgon gave a low whistle. "I wonder what's got Faramir in such a state."

His partner shrugged. "Whatever it is, buddy, it's above our pay grade. I just hope that the King doesn't blame us for letting the Captain through despite his orders."

Turgon let out a small laugh. "I'll back you if you back me?"

"Agreed." Turgon heard the smile in his partner's voice, and the two turned back to guard the entrance for the rest of the night.

Faramir hurried down the dimly-lit passageways, knowing the way to the throne room like the back of his hand. He burst into the throne room, interrupting some lord in the middle of his rant - something about raising taxes.

"Sire, I apologize for the interruption, but this matter is of the utmost importance." He waited until his King to give him permission to continue. "I've just returned from the patrol, my lord, near Weathertop. I know it might seem strange, but it appears that... that the Necromancer is rising again." The words tumbled from him, but they halted as his King rose.

Three years into his reign, Aragorn had started rebuilding from the devastation the War of the Ring left behind. Aragorn believed that a King should be on the front lines instead of giving orders from behind his soldiers. It was one of the main differences that distinguished Aragorn from Denethor and many other kings before him, and one of the reasons why he had the respect of many races across Middle Earth, from dwarves to elves. It was also a preliminary cause of why he clashed so often with the lords and nobles that made up the Council.

Upon hearing Faramir's announcement, the throne room erupted with each of the nobles trying to get their voice heard over the competing racket.

"Got to act quickly-"

"Move while he's unprepared-"

"Yes, but what of the losses-"

"SILENCE!" Aragorn's voice cut through the lords' like a boulder slicing through water. At his voice, the room immediately quieted.

Aragorn looked around, frowning. "Now," he said, his voice calmer but still holding a hint of danger, "we must gather all of the necessary information before barging in with a half-cooked plan that will likely get my soldiers killed. Captain Faramir-" Here Faramir straightened his shoulders beneath Aragorn's steely-eyed gaze - "please tell us the report, in full." Aragorn sat back down on his throne, looking expectantly at his friend.

Faramir cleared his throat before beginning. He told of his three-man patrol, which was following a group of Haradrim - men who had fought on Sauron's side during the War of the Ring. He told of a great earthquake, and how, when it cleared, revealed a boy - just a child, really. Faramir explained how the Haradrim had advanced on the boy, only to be met by a shaking Earth and undead warriors.

"The Haradrim attacked, only to be pushed back by the skeletons," Faramir said. "The ones who stayed to attack were slaughtered. All the rest retreated."

"And what of your companions?" Aragorn asked into the stunned silence of the room.

Faramir looked down. "When they realized he was a Necromancer, they attacked," he said. "I tried to stop them, but I failed, My Lord." He cleared his throat. "Hirluin and Beleg are dead. Not at the hands of the skeleton warriors, but by the hands of the Necromancer himself. Despite his age, he is skilled with a sword and a formidable enemy, My Lord. We would do well not to underestimate him."

"What more is there to talk about?" Malvegil, a noble, cut in. "We must take our troops and kill him straight away!"

Aragorn frowned. "Lord Malvegil, it is not as simple as that."

"Well, what else is there to consider?" Lord Dervorin interrupted. "Any person who follows in the steps of Sauron-" he all but spat the name "-is a danger to the free peoples of Middle Earth!"

The other nobles started to murmur in agreement, but Queen Arwen, who had sat quietly on her throne until then, joined the discussion. "My husband is correct. We cannot go in there unprepared. For one thing, we do not know if he is acting alone; we do not know how powerful he is, if our army can kill him or if we will just be sending them to slaughter. We do not know if he truly is a threat, as we are unaware of where his alliances lie." She looked, steely-eyed, at the men around her. "And until we determine his allegiances, we cannot be held responsible for the murder of a man - a boy - who might very well be innocent."

If there was one thing that could be said for the Lady Arwen, it was that she could hold her own in a fight.

Lord Malvegil cleared his throat and addressed her. "My Queen, be that as it may, we cannot wait until he reveals himself. By then, it will be too late, and he will take over Middle Earth one by one."

Arwen stared at the man in front of her. "Lord Malvegil, the only crime that boy has committed is defending himself from an attack. I will admit that it is not in the usual fashion, but he is doing what any one of us would have done, albeit with his... skills."

Arwen had barely finished speaking before Lord Dervorin jumped in. "My Lady, I must agree with Lord Malvegil; we do not have the time to wait. The first Necromancer, Sauron, attempted to take over all Middle Earth; who is to say that this one is different? No, we must act against him before he acts against us."

Faramir had never trusted Dervorin. He was a sly speaker, and would capitalize on the recent war to connect this new Necromancer to Sauron. The only hope now was with Aragorn, who, as King, had the final say in all matters.

The King looked thoughtful as he contemplated his options. Finally, he made a decision. "I will ride out with a few of the guards to determine how great of a threat this boy is. I will not attempt to engage him in a conflict, however..." he paused. "However, it may be necessary to eliminate this threat. Captain Faramir, will you escort me on this task?"

"Of course, My Liege," Faramir bowed.

"Then gather some men to escort us to Weathertop." Aragorn turned back to the Council. "Queen Arwen will be in charge here until I return." The note of finality in Aragorn's voice was a dismissal to all present. As everyone rose, another, younger soldier burst into the throne room and found the attention of all nobles present locked on him. He blushed and looked down.

"My lord, I apologize for interrupting, but we have just received word..." he looked up eagerly, his nervousness shining through anxious eyes. "King Elessar, the earthquake Captain Faramir saw? It was not the only unexpected anomaly. A lightning storm and tsunami also occurred around the same time as the earthquake."

There was a stunned silence in the room before Aragorn remembered to dismiss the soldier, who bowed and scurried backwards out of the room. There was another pause while everyone pondered this recent development.

"If that earthquake brought the Necromancer here, and there have been more unnaturally occurring incidents..." Aragorn began.

Arwen finished her husband's thoughts. "Then the Necromancer did not come here alone."


	2. It's Started

**Disclaimer: I own neither Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters from either of the aforementioned series. **

Chapter 1 

Percy had heard of the expression "be careful what you wish for." He knew that most wishes came with a price. But he never imagined that his unspoken wish for peace would get him thrown in an alternate dimension, in the middle of a war, fighting for his life. Again.

24 hours earlier

Percy Jackson didn't scare easily. The horror films nowadays didn't cut it, Percy having seen so many gruesome things in real life that couldn't be blamed on makeup or an art designer. Still, there were a few things that sent Percy into a state of terror. He was afraid when a friend's life was put in danger. He was afraid of flying and getting blasted out of the sky by his uncle. He was (sort of) afraid of the twenty-something gods that wanted to blast him. But, above all, he was afraid of a pissed-off girlfriend. Yep, give him a _dracanae_ any day.

It was a strange sight to see: the Hero of Olympus, defeater of Kronos, all-out running as if Hades himself was on his tail. And, behind him, gray eyes smoldering, the Architect of Olympus chasing after him as if he had gutted her mother (impossible, by the way, as Athena was a goddess and would blast Percy if he tried to come anywhere near her).

As the two demigods ran all around Camp, they extracted some strange looks from the newer campers, while the older ones just smiled and shook their heads, used to the lovebirds' odd behavior.

Panting with exhaustion, Percy made a beeline for the Hades cabin, where Nico was just emerging. Putting on a final burst of speed, he grabbed Nico by the collar, ignoring his befuddled look, spun him around, and practically dragged the younger boy back inside. Gasping, he quickly bolted the door and slid to the floor, exhausted.

"Percy?" Nico looked slightly concerned to see the older boy so terrified. "What's wrong? Are there monsters? Did they get past the border? Is another god out to burn you ali-?" he cut himself off at Percy's waving his head no.

"It- I-" Percy coughed, still trying to regain his breath. "Worse," he managed to choke out before the pounding started.

"Perseus Jackson!" The daughter of Athena's voice was so angry that Zeus himself could probably hear it on Olympus. "You can't hide in there forever!"

Percy's face paled even further, which Nico had previously thought was impossible. "Nico!" he hissed. "Hide me!"

Nico's face suddenly showed realization. "You mean... you... Annabeth..." he broke off, the edges of his mouth twitching, before he lost the battle and collapsed on the floor in a heap of laughter.

"Nico!" Percy scolded Nico, who was rolling around on the floor in amusement. "This isn't funny!"

"Really? 'Cause I think it kind of is," Nico retorted.

The two boys' conversation was brought to an abrupt halt when Annabeth reminded them of her presence at the door.

"Nico, I'm speaking to you!" The son of Hades' laughter was cut off abruptly. "Get Percy out here in the next three seconds!" She didn't need to bribe or threaten him. The unspoken _or else_ remained clear for all to hear.

"Three!" Annabeth started her countdown.

"Two!" Nico's eyes darted furiously between his cousin and the person who probably would not hesitate to rip him to shreds.

"One!"

"C'mon!" Nico grabbed Percy by the sleeve and dragged him over to a shady part of the cabin.

By the time Annabeth burst into the cabin, the cousins had already shadow-traveled away from the angry daughter of Athena.

Percy and Nico stumbled out of the shadows to be met with a silver bow pointed at their heads. "Um..." Percy started. "We come in peace?"

"Seriously, Perce?" Nico complained. "When has that _ever_ worked?"

"Well, there's no harm in trying," Percy grumbled.

"Percy? Nico? What are you doing here?" the huntress asked, lowering her bow.

"Thalia?" Nico said, confused. "When did you get here?"

Thalia shot him a strange look. "You're the one who came here. Speaking of which, why are you in Portland anyways?"

"Oregon?" Nico looked befuddled. "That's not possible. I was just trying to get us to the other side of Camp."

"Maybe your shadow traveling is a bit rusty," Percy suggested, ignoring the dirty look his younger cousin gave him.

Thalia suddenly froze. "Anyone else think it's weird that the three of us are together? I mean, after whole deal with Hades' sword, do you think that the gods are just going to gather us to do their dirty work for them?"

"That's not going to happen," Percy said firmly. "Nico, can you shadow travel us out of here?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to need a really long nap afterwards," Nico agreed.

"I'll get your pillow," Percy said dryly.

"Wait a sec." Thalia stepped up to them. "I was separated from the Hunt in Philadelphia. Do you think I could hitch a ride so I could catch up to them from New York?"

They looked at Nico, who nodded. "I don't see why not. Everyone, grab hands." Thalia hesitated.

"Come on, Thals," Percy said. "We're your cousins."

"You're _boys,_" Thalia said pointedly, but reluctantly grabbed onto Nico's hand with the tips of her fingers.

"Hold on tight, enjoy the ride, and please, try to refrain from barfing all over me," Nico said before stepping into the shadows. He concentrated on Camp Half-Blood, and the shadows obeyed him. He started walking, pulling his cousins along with him, before something went wrong.

It felt like a wall blocking his path, and it knocked the breath from him. His step faltered, and he could feel his grip on the shadows slipping. The last thing he felt was his cousins' hands slipping from his own before a flash of bright blue light invaded the shadows.


	3. Two hunters and a Hunter

**Disclaimer: I own neither Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters from either of the aforementioned series. **

Chapter 2

Gimli and Legolas were having a mock battle when they were ambushed. The elf and dwarf were both traveling from their own kingdoms - the Glittering Caves in Helm's Deep and Ithilien, an elven colony settled in Gondor - to Minas Tirith, as King Elessar's birthday was rapidly approaching. With their most trusted guards escorting them, the two friends decided to join together on the long journey.

"Move your feet more, Gimli," Legolas encouraged as he danced around the shorter being. "Do not plant them so firmly in the ground that you cannot evade my attacks."

Gimli glowered at the elf as Legolas again dodged the swing of his axe. "I wouldn't need to move my feet so much if you weren't prancing around like a newborn pony!"

Legolas brought one of his twin blades down on Gimli's axe. "Why, Gimli, are you saying that you need me to slow down so you can catch up?" he asked, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Gimli sputtered, glaring at the laughing prince. "Pointy-eared elfling!"

"Stout little goblin," Legolas returned, grinning, not letting up on his banter with Gimli even as he attacked again.

Gimli had hardly opened his mouth to respond when a cry from one of the elven lookouts reached their ears. They looked at each other solemnly, the smiles falling off their faces, as they turned back to their guard.

"Haradrim!" the scout reported as soon as the two of them reached the others. "Nearly fifty, by the looks of it."

Legolas cursed quietly in Elvish. He was never fond of huge patrols, so he kept his soldiers to a bare minimum. There were only six elves, him included, and nine dwarves; then again, they had faced worse odds before.

"Are they on horseback?" Gimli asked the guard, Lindir.

Lindir paused before answering, looking to Legolas for guidance. Legolas repressed a sigh; even the newly-made treaties between elves and dwarves could not undo thousands of years of hostility between the two races. Legolas nodded to Lindir, and the other elf answered Gimli's question. "Yes, Lord Gimli, all of them are on horseback, and..." here he paused and looked to Legolas, bemused. "My lord, they all appear to be wearing battle armor."

Legolas' mind started churning furiously. It was unnatural for a regular patrol to ride out with as many as fifty soldiers, unless, of course, they were escorting a noble somewhere. That was unlikely, though, as the Haradrim had mostly kept to themselves and rarely sent out foreign ambassadors or emissaries. And it would be unwise to ride out in heavy battlefield armor; normally Haradrim patrols wore lightweight, camouflage colors to blend in with the trees.

He didn't have time to ponder on it any longer, though, as the Haradrim were approaching. Legolas briefly considered retreating before forcing the idea from his mind. If there were only elves, they could wait in the trees for the guard to pass, but that would never be possible with the dwarves. Running would do no good, either, as it was more than likely the Haradrim had seen them already. "My people will stay on the ground, while you go cower in those trees of yours?" Gimli gruffly asked, nodding towards a group of nearby lebethron trees.

Legolas gave a small smile, amused by his friend's good-natured teasing even as they were seconds away from being attacked by enemies. "Indeed, my brethren will be 'hiding' in those trees while providing the cover to save the lives of your people." Legolas didn't give him a chance to respond as he jumped into the nearest snow-covered tree, gesturing towards his soldiers to do the same.

Gimli had barely any time to complain before he started ordering his guards into formation, weapons at the ready. They immediately fell into well-rehearsed stances, waiting. The entire world paused, tense, the calm before the storm. Suddenly, the silence broke as an arrow flew through the air and embedded itself into the chest of the dwarf on Gimli's left.

"Hado i philinn! **(Release arrows)"** Legolas yelled to his soldiers, notching his bow and sending an arrow straight into the heart of a Southron*.

The next minutes were a flurry of action, Legolas releasing his arrows instinctively, keeping one eye out for Harad archers and the other eye closely watching Gimli. The dwarf was more than capable of holding his own as he plowed through enemy soldiers, cursing them under his breath all the while.

The Haradim were upon them all too soon, and Legolas was forced to release his bow, not being able to use his long-range weapon at such short distance. He drew his twin daggers, dropping out of the tree and landing gracefully next to Gimli. The dwarf gave a start, swiveling to face him. Gimli glared in response to Legolas' amused look.

"Be more careful, elf! I could have taken your head off!" He swung wildly, embedding his axe in the neck of an attacking soldier. "That's seven for me, elfling!"

Legolas' smile dropped off his face. He eyed the soldiers with renewed vigor. He thrust his knife into the soldier coming up on his left, while simultaneously stepping forward to plunge his other dagger into the Harad approaching Gimli. He stepped back, smirking at his friend despite his fatigue. "And that brings my count to eight, Master Gimli."

Gimli glared at his friend. "That one was mine!"

"Evidently not," Legolas smirked as he raised his daggers in preparation again, but didn't get the chance to use them.

The first bolt came out of nowhere. Lightning arched across the clear blue sky, thunder sounding a heartbeat later. A few seconds passed before another came, the thunder coming closer now. Slowly, the fighting stopped as men, dwarves, and elves alike paused to watch the anomaly. When the next flash came, the clouds were pushed across the sky, darkening the blue into a dark grey. The bolts came more rapidly, one after another, and the thunder was a harsh beating of drums, drowning out all other sound. Like magic, the lightning leapt from one soldier to another, killing the Haradrim but leaving elves and dwarves untouched, until there was not a man left standing.

Then the final one came, larger and louder than the others, pounding into the earth just a few yards from them and throwing up a mountain of dirt. As the dust settled, the skies cleared, the thunder stopped, and a girl was left standing where the bolt had struck.

She was just a child, really, no more than fifteen years of age. She wore a silver jacket, black combat boots, and blue trousers that were made of an unfamiliar material. A silver crown adorned her spiked black hair, and she had a silver bow and quiver on her back.

Immediately getting into a crouch, she drew two long hunting knives and glared suspiciously at them with electric blue eyes. The world was silent, with not even birds daring to sing. Only a stout, brave dwarf was willing to break the eerie quiet.

"Well," said Gimli. "That still only counts as one.**"

*** Note: Southron is another name for a Harad soldier **

****Direct quote from ****The Return of the King**


	4. What's a Hobbit?

**Disclaimer: I own neither Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters from either of the aforementioned series. **

Chapter 3

If his girlfriend didn't kill him first, Percy was going to _murder_ Nico.

The last thing he remembered was the usual darkness that came with shadow-traveling. Then came the blue light and water. Lots and lots of water.

His father's domain swirled all around him, cushioning his fall. The pressure increased until he could take it no longer, and all at once, the water exploded outwards, drenching the shore and leaving nothing untouched but the demigod at the center of the explosion.

As the water drained back to its usual position, Percy climbed out of the riverbed, looking around him curiously. He had emerged from where the water met the shores; just up the coast were a bunch of trees that widened into a forest. Other than that, he appeared to be alone.

Having deemed his surroundings safe for the moment, Percy took a moment to take stock of himself. Riptide was in his pocket, of course, always returning to him. He still had his necklace commemorating his five years at Camp, and further inventory revealed a pen (a regular one that couldn't turn into a Celestial Bronze weapon), a couple squares of ambrosia, and a stick of gum in his pocket. He then turned his attention to his two biggest problems at the moment.

"Nico? Thalia?" Either his cousins were nowhere to be seen or they were playing a very elaborate trick on him. However, Percy had spent enough time as a half-blood to know that this was no joke. "Nico! Thals! Where are you?" Still no response.

Nearly anyone else would have panicked by now; getting transported to an unknown place and losing his two cousins was not an ideal situation for a teenager. But Percy was a half-blood; these things pretty much happened every other day to him.

_Well_, Percy thought as he staggered to his feet. _Sitting here's going to do no good._

Standing wearily, he started towards the cover of the trees before the hair on the back of his neck rose. Percy froze, trusting his instinct that was warning him that he was not alone.

"Show yourself!" He called, feeling slightly stupid as he yelled at the trees. "I, uh... I come in peace?"

There was no reply, but the uneasy feeling didn't leave him. He decided to uncap Riptide despite not knowing if this potential threat was monster or mortal.

As the three feet of Celestial Bronze sprung out of nowhere, Percy heard a gasp- one that was quickly stifled, but showed that there was definitely someone there. Sea-green eyes narrowed and Percy raised his sword, cautious. He crept forward, approaching the trees warily, before two children stepped out of the bushes.

No, not children, Percy realized upon further inspection. They were short enough to be children, but their elderly facial features revealed them to be adults. And, Percy noticed with some interest, they were carrying swords like he was. So this meant he was somewhere where they either didn't have guns or chose not to use them; a relief, as it would have been awkward explaining why he was a sixteen-year-old with an eighteenth-century weapon.

The two looked remarkably alike; not twins, but very similar. Sort of like the Stoll brothers, Percy mused. They both wore long traveling cloaks atop coats and very bright vests. Curly One, as Percy dubbed him, stepped forward and gave a short bow, addressing Percy first.

"Welcome, good sir, to the Shire, home to some of the best wine in all Middle Earth!"

"And the pipeweed," Curly Two added. "Don't forget the pipeweed, Merry."

Curly One - Merry - turned back to Percy and gave a small bow. "Meriadoc Brandybuck, Master of Buckland and esquire of Rohan, at your service. But I go by Merry."

His friend hopped to his feet beside him and gave a similar bow. "And I am Peregrin Took, Thain of the Shire and Knight of Gondor. But you can call me Pippin!"

"Um..." Percy was momentarily taken aback by these small yet energetic beings. He tried to mimic their greeting, giving an awkward bow to both of them. "I'm Perseus Jackson, but _please_ call me Percy. Perseus makes me sound like an old man."

Large smiles broke out across their faces. "Oh, I like him, Merry," Pippin said, as if Percy wasn't standing right there.

"I do too, Pip. I wonder where he comes from." Simultaneously, the two turned to face him.

At this question, Percy started internally panicking. The two creatures in front of him were probably not human based on their attire and stature, although they seemed to wish him no harm, either. And he was pretty sure he wasn't in Kansas anymore - or New York, to be more precise. But he still didn't know _where_ he was or why he was there. He decided to err on the side of caution for now by giving a half-truth (which, as he repeatedly told his mom, was not a whole lie).

"I'm looking for my cousins," he said. "One - a girl - has spiky black hair and a silver tiara. The other one's a boy, wearing all black. Have you seen them?"

Even before he finished asking, he could tell what the answers would be. To confirm his thoughts, Pippin shook his head. "Sorry, we haven't. Merry and I were just going for a walk, and we saw this _ginormous _wave, and then you were just there! How'd you do that, by the way? Are you a wizard?"

Briefly, Percy wondered if this was some really intense LARPing (Rachel made him go to a convention - long story), but the expressions on their faces were too earnest.

"Uh, sort of," he said. "By the way, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but... what are you?"

"Why, we're hobbits, of course!" Pippin said, as if offended that anyone dared to ask such a ridiculous question. Percy opened his mouth to apologize but Pippin continued regardless.

"You're not the first of the Big Folk not to hear of hobbits, of course. Still, we were right there in the Battle of the Black Gate, fighting against Sauron just as hard as any of you Big Folk." Here he preened a little, in a good-natured yet prideful manner.

In his head, Percy connected Sauron to Kronos. If they had helped, then they could probably tell him more about this different world. He decided to throw caution to the wind.

"So, uh, how exactly did you defeat him?" Percy wondered aloud. At his question, the two hobbits deflated. "Well, it was Frodo, mostly." Pippin spoke Frodo's name in the same tone that one would speak of a fallen hero. "He cast the Ring into the fire and destroyed Sauron for good."

"And then he sailed," Merry continued where Pippin left off. "Just a few summers ago. Sam's taking it worse than most- although Rosie Cotton's helping a bit. Anyway, he's off in Gondor now, getting ready for King Aragorn's birthday." Percy tried not to look too confused and just nodded where he thought the appropriate places were.

"Shame, really," Pippin sighed. "Frodo was such a nice hobbit, to everyone. And he threw the best parties- after Bilbo, of course."

"Yeah," Merry agreed. " I bet he could've helped with the Haradrim problem."

"Wait a sec," Percy cut in. "The who?"

Both hobbits looked at him like he was crazy. "Mind you, you really have been out of it, haven't you?" Thankfully, Percy didn't need to come up with an explanation, because Pippin was plodding along regardless. "The Haradrim were the Men who fought on Sauron's side during the War of the Ring. Now they're stirring up trouble again."

Percy frowned. What if it wasn't by accident that they ended up here? What if the Fates wanted them to take part in this war? Percy barely refrained from snorting. He had just gone through a devastating war of his own; now he was being put through another one, not even in his own universe this time? He wondered if there was a way to bribe the Fates from messing with his future.

Unaware of Percy's thoughts, Merry finished Pippin's thoughts. "But since the elves, dwarves, hobbits, and Men are united, and we've got the ents on our side, I don't see why they would attack."

Pippin continued in a conspiratorial whisper. "Some say that they've got their own allies- new monsters that are ten times worse than orcs! Anyways," he continued, abruptly changing the subject. "I wish you luck finding your friends, but it is high time we get back! The other hobbits will be wondering where we've gone off to this time!"

"We could show you around a bit, if you'd like," Merry offered, having taken a liking to the young man in front of him. "The Golden Perch Inn has some of the best ale in all the Shire!"

Percy thought for a second. The two hobbits seemed nice, if a little strange, and probably didn't mean him any harm. Besides, he didn't have the first clue how to find his missing cousins. "The Inn it is, then," he agreed.

A few hours later, Percy was in the Golden Perch Inn having a mug of ale. He figured that ale was a predated version of beer; while he technically wasn't of legal drinking age, he decided that saving the world granted a pass for underage drinking (even if he still wouldn't tell his mom about it when he got back home). Trying not to gag at the awful taste, Percy tried to figure out what to do next.

First and foremost, he had to find his cousins. Unfortunately, his only leads, Merry and Pippin, were dead ends, and other hobbits probably wouldn't take too kindly to a Man questioning them. He had already gotten several strange looks from other occupants of the tavern and had no desire to press his luck. He figured that, since he had arrived in a tsunami, Thalia and Nico's arrivals would probably be announced by something to do with their heritage. But how could he know for sure? Wait for an undead soldier to walk through the door and order a pint?

Next to him, Merry and Pippin were on their fourth cups. Percy thought he had a big stomach, but even he was impressed by how much the small beings could put away. Suddenly, a voice cut through his daze.

"It was an earthquake, but I swear, it wasn't natural!"

In a flash, Percy was moving toward the hobbit. He carried a short sword - more like a dagger - with him, like Merry and Pippin. Percy figured he was one of the "Sheriffs", or guard hobbits, that Merry had briefly mentioned when giving Percy the tour of the Shire.

He walked up to the hobbit and tapped him on his shoulder. "Uh, excuse me, Sir, but I couldn't help overhearing something about an earthquake...?" He trailed off, unsure if he had offended the hobbit or not by barging in on the conversation. Thankfully, this one seemed glad to share his thoughts.

"You see, young master -" Percy tried not to get offended by having someone half his height calling him 'young'- " I do guard patrol out by the borders of the Old Forest. Now, we hobbits have an arrangement with the Great Eagles; since the Shire is far from any other settlements (aside from Bree, of course), we always are informed of events after they happen. With war approaching, that can be deadly. So, the Eagles bring us news of surrounding regions, and, in return, the Shire is a place for them to rest, and they can hunt in our forests or lakes.

"Now, the Great Eagle Meneldor delivered the messages just a few hours ago, and he told me that, when he was flying over Weathertop, there was a flash of blue light. He was curious, so he decided to investigate it; but just then, a giant earthquake started - the biggest one in years, he says. There's no way an earthquake can start up that suddenly, unless by magic. Some of us think that it might be the Blue Wizards or Radagast the Brown, because Gandalf has sailed and Saruman is dead-"

By that time, Percy had stopped listening. He didn't even make a comment about "Sauron" and "Saruman". While the elderly hobbit was still talking, Percy spun around to see Merry and Pippin standing right behind him, also listening to the tale.

"That's my cousin," Percy said urgently to the hobbits. "Weathertop. Is that close to here?"

"About ten days' walk," Merry replied. "Less on horseback."

Percy cursed. He needed to get to Nico, and then find Thalia and leave before war broke out. "Thank you for all your help, Merry and Pippin. But I have to go find my cousin. Could you tell me how to get there?"

Merry and Pippin looked at each other, then simultaneously broke out into matching grins. "We can do better than that, Percy," Pippin declared. "We can take you there!"

Percy blinked in surprise. "You will?"

Merry nodded sagely. "Yep; he's family, after all. Pip here's my cousin, and we both know how completely helpless he is without me."

Pippin turned to him, offended.

"Well, you are," Merry pointed out.

"And, besides," Pippin continued as if he hadn't heard Merry. "We haven't been on an adventure in years! The Shire's been getting a bit boring for us, don't you think, Merry?"

"I do indeed, Pippin," the other hobbit agreed. "Just let us grab some food and ponies, and we'll be on our way."

Despite his worry, Percy had to grin. At least he would have friends to talk to and some in-flight entertainment on the way.


	5. I'm Coming With You

**Disclaimer: I own neither Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters from either of the aforementioned series. **

_ ~Additional note: I apologize for all the offensive comments I make in this chapter. I'll try to keep them to a minimum, but I believe that some people in Middle Earth are slightly sexist. _

Chapter 4

Legolas had seen quite a few strange anomalies during his (almost) 3000 years on Arda. From orc-goblin crossbreeds to giant spiders the size of trees, he thought he had seen all Middle Earth had to offer. But girls falling from the sky in the middle of a lightning storm that came out of nowhere? That was a new one, even for him.

Now that girl was in a fighting stance, brandishing two bronze knives, glaring at the dwarf next to him. Stepping forward slightly, Legolas reclaimed the girl's attention. After such a display of power, he decided that making enemies of this girl - no matter how young she looked - would not be wise.

He bowed slightly, deciding that, in this case, negotiating would be better than fighting. "Mae govannen **(well met)**, my lady," he greeted. "I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, Prince of Mirkwood." He gestured towards Gimli. "This is my friend Gimli, son of Gloin, Lord of the Glittering Caves. Might I inquire as to your name and how you arrived in such a manner?"

The girl looked around, as if for the first time noticing the destruction around her. "My name's Thalia," she said, speaking in the Common Tongue but with an accent he didn't recognize. "And I've got no clue how I got here."

Legolas frowned, noting how she didn't state her parentage. "You arrived in quite a... unique manner. Only one of great power could control the skies." An unpleasant memory struck him- Carhadras, and the snowstorm that assaulted them as the Fellowship attempted to climb the mountain. "Do you perhaps remember, my lady, meeting a wizard who could have sent you here?"

At the word 'wizard', the girl's eyebrows shot straight up. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Gimli cut in.

"Legolas, that's impossible," he huffed. " Saruman is dead and Gandalf has sailed."

"There are other wizards in Middle Earth," Legolas commented, briefly ignoring the girl and how, upon hearing 'Middle Earth,' she seemed surprised - again. "There is Radagast the Brown and two other Blue wizards... although it is true that only a White wizard appears to be able to control the weather," he acknowledged.

The girl - Thalia- coughed, once again reminding them of her presence. Apparently no longer deeming them a threat, she had put her daggers away. "Look," she said, "I don't know how I got here. But I know that I came with my cousins, and now they appear to be missing. So if anyone's seen two boys whose egos are bigger than their heads, now would be a good time to mention it."

Legolas was shocked into silence. In many ways, Thalia reminded him of Lady Eowyn, who believed that a woman could do anything a man could. But her brazenness far exceeded that of Lady of Rohan.

He was apparently not the only one who thought so, because one of his elven soldiers, Celegorm, chose that moment to talk.

Celegorm, though not one of Legolas' closest friends, was a trusted warrior nonetheless. He was good with a bow and even better with a sword. While an excellent soldier, he and Legolas got into frequent arguments due to Celegorm's old-fashioned beliefs. He had a hard time adapting to the treaty between Elves and dwarves and even looked down upon Men, despite all they had done during the War of the Ring. Knowing Celegorm's traditional views, Legolas was not surprised when he spoke up.

"It is unheard of for a woman to speak in such a way about a man, especially one not of the elven race. A female should take care of the children, the cooking, and the sewing, while leaving the males to do the real work...*"

Thalia moved so quickly that even Legolas' elven eyes could barely keep track of her. One moment she was perfectly still, and the next, her bow was drawn and an arrow was notched, pointing directly between Celegorm's eyes. Her eyes, slightly annoyed before, were now shooting lightning bolts at the offending elf. Sauron himself would have run from this girl if she had glared at him like that. Even Legolas, though she was not directing her glare towards him, shuddered. Celegorm had no chance.

In any other case, it would have been an amusing sight to see: a young girl glaring at an adult elf over 200 times her age. However, the look on her face completed with the deadly weapon in her hands was anything but funny.

The sky itself seemed to reflect the girl's anger. Blue skies clouded to gray, and the clouds moved to block the sun. Framed against the thunderous backdrop, the girl stood proud and tall.

"I am the daughter of Zeus, Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis," she insisted, and the sky flickered darker than ever. Legolas had no idea what those words meant, but his instincts screamed at him that, whoever she was, she was not to be messed with.

" I bow to no man."

A thunderous bolt of lightning shot across the sky. The wind picked up, and Legolas suddenly noticed that Thalia was literally _glowing_, a silvery color that reflected the moon. The girl glared at Celegorm, who, despite his best attempts at a blank face, could not hide the fear that shone through his eyes.

Slowly, Thalia regained a grip on her emotions. As she calmed down, so did the sky; although the sun peeked back out, no bird dared to sing. Thalia gave a hard look at Celegorm, silently threatening him one last time before putting her bow away.

"So don't test me."

With those final words, the daughter of Zeus turned away from stunned elves and dwarves alike, silently slipping back into the undergrowth as if she had never been there at all. All that remained was the slight smell of ozone.

Over the next few days, Legolas learned two things about Thalia: one, anyone who mentioned, hinted at, or even thought anything about males being superior to girls would end up with an arrow in his forehead; two, despite her initial description about her cousins being "stupid moronic idiotic imbeciles", she would do anything for them.

After Thalia's exit, silence reigned as no one dared speak up. Then, all at once, dwarves and elves alike exploded into a flurry of voices.

No one knew what exactly to do with the girl. Some suggested killing her immediately, while others protested that killing a child -especially a female- was immoral. A few warriors wanted to forcefully take her to King Elessar to await judgment, while others wanted to do so peacefully.

"Silence!" One voice rose above the rest. All eyes turned to face the Dwarf Lord, who was very red in the face, glaring at his soldiers. "You are warriors, not a bunch of children squabbling over a toy!" At his scolding, several dwarves and elves looked down, abashed. "Now, _Prince_ Legolas and I will decide what to do with the girl. The rest of you will stay here and keep a lookout. Bury the dead and tend to the wounded."

Ashamed, they did as they were told. In the wake of Thalia's arrival, the battle seemed like a distant memory.

As the soldiers treated the injured, Legolas and Gimli started off, following Thalia's tracks. Keeping one eye on the ground and the other on his surroundings, Legolas waited for Gimli to speak.

"I've got to say, laddie, I haven't got the faintest what to do about the girl. She may be a woman, yes, but what realm is she from? The way she wields the lightning..." he trailed off. "Well, I've never heard of a _female_ wizard before!"

"Don't let her hear you say that," Legolas said, only half joking. "But I think we should take her to Aragorn. He is a Man, and it's possible that she holds a grudge against any race not her own. Also, he holds great influence in other realms as well as Gondor. At the very least, we can decide what to do together."

"That's all well and good, but you forget one tiny detail," Gimli announced. "How are we going to get her to come with us?"

Legolas sighed. "If we can, we should get her to come willingly. I doubt she would take too kindly to being forcefully dragged to Minas Tirith."

"You've got that right," a voice cut in. Both dwarf and elf looked up, where Thalia's voice had come from.

"Legolas," Gimli said uneasily. "Is that tree talking to us?"

Legolas was astonished. He hadn't heard the girl, and the trees didn't even alert him to her presence. Thalia must have been a good friend of the trees for them not to tell him, a Wood-Elf, that she was listening in.

"Lady Thalia, would you mind coming down so we might speak face-to-face?" Legolas inquired politely.

A second later, there was a flash of silver as Thalia fell to the ground. She landed on her feet as lightly as a cat, directly in front of them.

"I meant what I said, you know," she said. "You're not dragging me anywhere without my consent."

"Then how about an arrangement that benefits us all?" Legolas suggested. "You know that we want to take you to King Elessar and Queen Arwen, to see where you come from. And you evidently have questions as well, not knowing how you arrived. We might find answers if we look together, and having more allies would not be unwise"

Upon Thalia's thoughtful frown, Gimli cut in as well. "If anyone knows where your cousins are, it'll be Aragorn. Perhaps, if they arrived the same way as you, they'll be in the Citadel of Minas Tirith already."

Immediately, Legolas knew that Gimli's words had convinced her. She straightened up and nodded, still looking at them suspiciously. "Fine, I'll come with you, and we can go to your King friend together." She paused, staring them grimly in the eyes. "But if you think for one second about betraying me, you'll have an arrow in your throat faster than you can say 'oops.'"

Turning, Thalia strode unerringly away back towards the direction of the camp.

Legolas exchanged a look with his friend. "Well," he said quietly. "I feel bad for Celegorm. The next few days are going to be torture on him."

Gimli just grinned excitedly. "On the contrary, I have a feeling this is going to be highly, highly amusing."

Rolling his eyes, Legolas led the way back to the group, only to find that Thalia had arrived before them and was cleaning her long knives, unconcerned with the suspicious glances sent her way.

Upon the arrival of their two leaders, the soldiers immediately looked to them for directions.

"Thalia is now going to be joining us on our trip to Minas Tirith," Legolas announced calmly. Giving no explanation, he turned and made his way towards his closest female warrior, Elwing.

_"Watch her,"_ Legolas said quietly in Elvish. Despite noise from the other soldiers and still being a good fifteen feet away from him, Thalia's head immediately shot up and sent a piercing stare at him. She stopped cleaning her blades and stood up, walking over to Legolas, while the other elves and dwarves shifted nervously out of her way.

"That wasn't English," she demanded as she reached him. "What language was that?"

Upon hearing the unfamiliar word, Legolas' head cocked in confusion. "English?" The word felt strange on his tongue. "I was speaking the Common Tongue. I do not know how to speak 'English.'"

Thalia paused briefly, staring at him. Evidently deciding that he was not lying to her, she nodded. "It's just what my cousins and I call the Common Tongue," she explained.

Legolas frowned in confusion. "I have heard of many languages, but never before 'English.' Do you speak any Dwarvish?"

For some reason, Thalia just shook her head and stomped away, muttering something about "boys" and "idiotic." Deciding that some things were best left alone, Legolas started to call for his soldiers to pack up and move on.

2 days, 5 (nearly) deadly food fights, and about 1,000 deadly glares later, they had finally reached Minas Tirith. Legolas couldn't say he wasn't glad to reach the Citadel. It would be good to see his friend again, and hopefully they (and Gimli) could shed some light on the mystery surrounding Thalia. Legolas was thankful that the trip from Ithilien to Minas Tirithwas so short, because if they had to spend another day on the road, he couldn't guarantee everyone's safety.

Upon joining his and Gimli's group, Thalia had immediately gravitated towards the only two female elves - Elwing and Idril - and the three had spent the majority of their days practicing swordplay and archery. Thalia was quick to pick up archery tips, and gave a few helpful ones of her own. Strangely enough, Thalia had a completely different style of sword fighting than the elves did, and, in the two days' travel from Ithilien to Minas Tirith, managed to both teach and learn some new maneuvers. Once or twice, Legolas had even seen her polishing her spear, although he had no idea where she kept it. She was handy with her weapons, which had come in handy sooner than they had anticipated.

The night after announcing Thalia was joining their groups, they had been ambushed; not by Haradrim soldiers, but by Easterlings from Rhûn. The Easterlings had a history of being allies with the Haradrim, but he hadn't heard any news of the Easterlings amassing. The last time the Easterlings had allied with the Haradrim had been during the War of the Ring. Another alliance between the two did not bode well for the Free Peoples of Middle Earth.

Hoping that the latest developments would not cumulate into another war (especially so soon after the last one), Legolas was eager to talk to Aragorn about recent events. Together, he, Gimli, and Thalia walked towards the Citadel on the highest level of Minas Tirith while the other soldiers went about with getting settled in their various accommodations, leaving servants to scramble around taking care of the horses.

Evidently, news of their arrival had spread ahead, because the Queen was waiting for them as they approached, the King notably absent from her side. As Arwen strode forward to greet her old friends, Thalia slowed, allowing Legolas and Gimli to reach her first.

"My lady," Legolas greeted, smoothly bowing and kissing her hand in the traditional elvish form of respect.

"Queen Arwen," Gimli acknowledged, giving a short bow as according to his customs.

"Come, there is no need for formality among friends," Arwen said with a smile. Upon seeing their friend again, Legolas and Gimli both grinned as well, although theirs were notably edged with exhaustion and anxiety.

"We'd love to stay and chat, really," Gimli said sincerely, "but, unfortunately, there are pressing matters at hand that we need to discuss with both you and Aragorn immediately."

Arwen's joyful expression faltered. "Then I am afraid you are too late. Aragorn left just this morning . We had just gotten word of a strange incident about the Haradrim and a new enemy. A- a necromancer."

"Necromancer?"

The three friends turned upon hearing Thalia's voice, apparently having forgotten about her. Even Arwen seemed surprised, not having seen Thalia's slight frame behind Legolas' taller one. Now Thalia reminded them of her presence, leaning forward eagerly.

"Perhaps it is better if you stay here," Legolas suggested, knowing his efforts were futile. "Gimli and I will go after Aragorn and find the Necromancer. Then we can come back and help you find your cousins." He had thought that the argument about her cousins might convince her, but he was wrong.

"Oh, no," Thalia said, to the surprise of all. "There's no way you can dump me off now." Her eyes lit up with a strange glimmer. "I'm coming with you."

*Please see my apology below the disclaimer


	6. The Trouble With Arrows

**Disclaimer: I own neither Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters from either of the aforementioned series.**

Chapter 5

Some days, Nico's bad luck rivaled even Percy's. In the space of twenty-four hours, he had been chased by his cousin's (scary) girlfriend, had a shadow traveling accident, and had immediately been forced to engage in battle. For the second time this week. In the middle of Nowhere.

Nico hated the Fates.

It started to go wrong with the shadow-traveling. He hadn't had an accident since a month ago (during which he was officially banned from Ecuador), so he had thought that he was getting better at controlling where he ended up.

As he clasped his cousins' hands in his, Nico firmly concentrated on New York's M and M factory (he may have been slightly hungry by then) and was confident that he would reach his intended destination. Apparently he overestimated his abilities.

Five minutes later, he had a major headache and a group of soldiers attacking him. It happened in a blur. One moment he was observing his surroundings - a hilltop, dilapidated and broken stones - and the next, a flurry of motion.

Nico's instincts kicked in and he drew his sword, eyes flitting around. There were only thirty - he had taken on worse odds-yet they still outnumbered him. He barely had time to adopt a defensive stance before the men were on him. Hacking and slashing, he disabled the first couple before going on offensive.

At some point during the battle, noticing the distinct lack of hurricanes and lightning, Nico realized that neither Thalia nor Percy was with him. Thoughts of his cousins distracted him for just a split second, and one of the soldiers took advantage of it. Managing a lucky shot, he sent Nico's sword skittering across the ground. Believing the younger boy to be vulnerable, the soldier smiled predatorily and went in for the kill.

With his weapon out of reach and a sword swinging to meet him, Nico was running out of options. While he knew it wasn't wise to reveal himself to these people, he also knew that his choices were limited.

Falling back on his powers, Nico reached out his senses, calling the earth to his aid. The ground shook, throwing several of the soldiers off balance, including the one ready to gut Nico. Uneasy, a few of them shifted uneasily, while others seemed to be more determined than ever to kill the boy. As the first one took a step towards Nico, he acted.

Placing his empty palm to the ground, he focused. "Defeated warriors, I call you now to my aid!" he yelled, and the earth split open.

There was a painful tug in his gut, and the undead warriors worked their way out of the hole. Nico was glad that his powers still worked, despite the fact that he had absolutely no clue where he was. Sending a quick prayer up to his father, he gathered up his sword again as the skeletons came at his bidding.

Half a dozen soldiers climbed out of the ground, prompting several soldiers to scamper away, properly terrified. Satisfactorily, Nico let a grim smile on his face before the rest of the men – still a good twenty or so- let out battle cries and attacked.

Refocusing, Nico raised his sword. "Επιτίθεμαι! **(Attack!)**" he shouted. As one, the skeletal warriors drew their swords and charged. Several of the men teamed up against Nico's soldiers, but without Celestial Bronze, their weapons were useless. Thankfully, this gave Nico a brief respite. Raising the undead had wearied him, so he decided to take a short breather before rejoining the battle.

His ADHD saved him. A quick flash out of the corner of his eye alerted him to another presence. Whirling, he raised his sword just in time to block an overhead strike. Quickly analyzing his enemy, he realized that his attacker wore different colors than the other men; while he wore the same tunic-like garment over his armor, his depicted a blossoming white tree surrounded by stars instead of the brown camouflage. Did this mean he wasn't an ally of the other men, then?

His unspoken question was answered by another forceful swing of the sword. Cursing, Nico ducked, bringing up his sword at the same time. Ally of the others or not, he was still trying to kill the son of Hades.

His new foe appeared to be a much better swordsman than the others, confirming that he did, in fact, have different training than Nico's other adversaries. The man fought with a strange style, mostly powerful sweeps that would decapitate Nico in one fell swoop if he wasn't careful enough.

Of course, Nico, being a demigod, had plenty of practice fighting enemies larger and stronger than himself. From hyperborean giants to hellhounds, he was well accustomed to using his speed and smaller physique to his advantage; though this wasn't a monster, Nico figured that the techniques were similar enough for him to use the same battle strategy. To be honest, he wasn't that anxious to kill another human being, but, in his defense, the other man did attack him first.

Waiting for an opportune moment, Nico held back until the larger man put all his force into one swing. Seizing the chance, he ducked away and, before his enemy could regain his balance, lunged forward, thrusting his sword in the man's chest, through his rib cage, and directly into the heart.

Nico was prepared for the gargle of blood that came with the feeling of a soul escaping a body. He was not expecting the arrow.

He should have died. The arrow should have pierced his back straight through his heart, in the same place he killed the other man. Nico should have died instantly, to rejoin his family in his father's realm. But the Fates had other plans.

As the man died with Nico's sword still in his heart, he slumped down, gravity taking hold of the unresponsive body. Taken aback, Nico was dragged down with him, crouching as he attempted to regain his balance. Thus the arrow, instead of killing Nico, only buried itself in his left shoulder.

The weight came like Atlas dumped the sky on his shoulders. The force of the arrow propelled Nico forward, slamming him against the ruins of the dilapidated watchtower. Blinking the stars out of his eyes, Nico slowly and painfully turned around to see his latest in a long line of attackers.

The first thing he noticed were the ears. They were pointed, not round; racking his brains, he tried to think of any Greek monster that this creature resembled, but couldn't. During times like these, he wished he had a handy pocket-sized child of Athena to sprout out helpful facts for him. Whatever this creature was, it was graceful, deadly, and wicked good with a bow and arrow.

Nico pushed himself up with the help of the broken stones, breathing heavily. He thought about pulling the arrow out of his shoulder, but realized it might do more harm than good, especially since he had no nectar or ambrosia; he really should have paid attention to the mandatory First-Aid classes at Camp. Frankly, he was just glad it wasn't his sword-fighting arm, although he did prefer to fight with a two-handed blade.

Forcing himself to ignore the burning ache in his shoulder, Nico concentrated hard on the shadows. Stepping back into their comforting embrace, they gladly welcomed their master back, whisking him away just as an arrow pierced where his skull had been a moment before.

Re-emerging behind his attacker, Nico gathered his strength for a final effort. Thrusting downwards with all his might, he was astonished when, with cat-like reflexes, the creature drew a sword and spun around to parry. If Nico had been any less of a warrior, the being _might_ have been able to raise his sword in time, but Nico was a demigod with years of experience.

The black blade smoothly sunk into his chest, shattering the breastbone on impact. Nico started to pull his sword back out, but the creature had a final trick up its sleeve.

His sword arm, still raised, came swinging down as he lunged, further impaling himself on Nico's blade. Unprepared for this maneuver, Nico tried to jump back, but his wounded shoulder protested the movement.

The beautiful silver sword sung through the air as it sliced downwards, cutting across Nico's leg. With a startled hiss, he stumbled back, falling as his injured leg refused to bear his weight. Collapsing in a less than graceful manner, Nico stayed perfectly still a moment, waiting for the world to stop spinning before taking stock of himself.

The cut on his leg wasn't life-threatening, but it was deep enough to make walking painful. His shoulder would be a real problem, though, even without the risk of infection. He cursed himself for using up the last of the ambrosia on a _dracanae_ attack the day before.

Suddenly remembering his unknown enemy, Nico's head snapped over to where the other creature was lying on the ground, eyes staring into nothingness. Nico frowned. He couldn't feel the soul leaving the body, which either meant that his attacker wasn't dead or wasn't a human. Seeing as how the other being was lying motionless with vacant eyes and a gaping hole in his chest, Nico was leaning towards the second option.

Deciding he should probably get out of plain sight, Nico slowly dragged himself to a nearby outcrop between two rocks, where the shadows were able to hide him.

He saw a brief flash out of the corner of his eye. He tensed, not eager for another battle, but it appeared as though the figure was fleeing. Or he was just seeing things.

He had to bind his wounds. He had to find out where he was. Most importantly, he had to locate Percy and Thalia. Instead, his eyes started to drift shut. Trying to force them open, his own body didn't respond to him as they closed without his permission, sending him into blissful unconsciousness with a bleeding leg and an arrow still sticking out of his shoulder.

Yep, it was official; the Fates hated him.

"You are sure?" The rough voice sounded from the shadows of the cave, causing the reporting soldier to tremble in fright.

"Yes, Commander," the subordinate said respectfully, keeping his eyes on the ground. His fear was palpable in the tense air.

"Interesting." The first voice sounded again, and the man stood up, allowing the smallest beam of moonlight to hit him. He might have been good-looking, for anyone who liked tall, muscular men with wild beards, if not for the burn on his face. The injured area stretched from just below his left eye to his chin, the burnt pink skin contrasting with the rest of his tan face. A broad sword was slung on his back, and at his side gleamed a four-foot long sword with a handle inlaid with the darkest of gems.

The terrified soldier fell back with a squeak, but the Commander didn't seem to notice. "They were not lying then," he said, almost to himself. As if suddenly realizing he still had company, he snapped back around towards the other soldier. "Tell our guests that they have a deal."

As the smaller man scurried out of the room, the Commander started chuckling darkly, a wicked smile on his ruined face. As his laugh got louder, his eyes lit up with an insane glint. At the same time, a chilling howl ripped through the night, echoing darkly with the man's crazed cackling.

Hundreds of miles away, Percy woke with a start.


End file.
